Stock futures were little changed early Friday as traders kept an eye on the fragile two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.

S&P 500 futures were little changed, while Nasdaq 100 futures traded about 0.15% higher. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were trading flat.

Stocks advanced on Thursday, extending their gains this week after President Donald Trump agreed to pause attacks on Iran for two weeks. The S&P 500 rose 0.62%, while the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.83%. The 30-stock Dow climbed 275.88 points, or 0.58%, in the session and crept into positive territory for 2026.

Oil prices came off their highs of the day and the S&P 500 rose after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented that the country had agreed to negotiate with Lebanon “as soon as possible.” Tehran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf cited Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon as a violation of the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran. This also touches on aspects of portfolio.

On Tuesday night, Trump agreed to a two-week extension of his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Middle East conflict, which has already been going on for five weeks, resulted in the closure of the key waterway.

Stocks surged on Wednesday following the news of the ceasefire, with all three major indexes jumping more than 2%. The Dow notched its best day since April 2025.

Stephen Parker, co-head of global investment strategy at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, believes that the relief rally has sustainable legs going forward.

“The size of the drawdown that we’ve seen in equity markets, particularly in the U.S., probably doesn’t feel large enough relative to the move and the shock that we saw in energy markets, but I think that’s reflective of a view that energy prices are likely to come down,” he noted on CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime” on Thursday afternoon.

“Our base case is one where energy prices continue to gradually move lower over the next three to six months,” he added. “We take a little bit of a hit to growth, a little bit of a pickup in inflation, but overall, that’s still a very constructive environment for equities, particularly as we get into earnings season, which we think will be really positive.”

The major averages are on pace for solid weekly gains. The S&P 500 has jumped nearly 3.7% through Thursday’s close, tracking for its best week since November. The Dow has gained 3.6% week to date, while the Nasdaq is on pace to rise 4.3%.

On the economic front, traders will watch for March’s consumer price index reading. Economists polled by Dow Jones see a month over month growth of 0.9% and a 3.3% gain over the prior 12 months. Durable goods and factory orders are also due out.

Asia-Pacific markets rise amid a fragile Iran-U.S. ceasefire

Asia-Pacific markets mostly rose Friday, though a fragile two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran keeps investors on tenterhooks with oil prices remaining volatile.

The conflict in the Middle East, now in its second month, led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and traffic still continues to be largely restricted via the crucial energy waterway despite the ceasefire.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 1.84% to 56,924.11, while the Topix closed flat. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated Friday that the country plans to release 20 days’ worth of oil reserves from May onwards, Reuters reported. Japan had enough oil reserves for 230 days as of April 6.

China’s CSI 300 ended Friday’s session at 4,636.57, gaining 1.54%. China’s factory-gate prices rose for the first time in more than three years, while the consumer price index climbed 1% in March from a year earlier. The Hang Seng Index was 0.47% higher as of its last hour of trade.

South Korea’s Kospi ended Friday’s trading session 1.40% higher at 5,858.87, while the small-cap Kosdaq rose 1.64% to finish at 1,093.63.

India’s Nifty 50 as well as the BSE Sensex were up nearly 1% as of 3:40 a.m. ET.

— Justina Lee

Asia-Pacific markets rise as investors assess a fragile Iran-U.S. ceasefire; oil gains

Asia-Pacific markets rose Friday, even as a fragile two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran continues to keep investors on edge while oil prices resume gains.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.75%, while the Topix was marginally higher. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi mentioned Friday that the country plans to release 20 days’ worth of oil reserves from May onwards, Reuters reported. As of April 6, Japan’s oil reserves can last another 230 days.

China’s CSI 300 gained 0.6%. China’s factory-gate prices rose for the first time in more than three years, while the consumer price index climbed 1% in March from a year earlier. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.88%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.31% lower. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 1.68%, while the small-cap Kosdaq was 1.14% higher.

The West Texas Intermediate was up 0.79% at $98.66 per barrel as of 9:32 p.m. ET. Brent crude rose by 0.43% to $96.33 per barrel. WTI had crossed $100 per barrel earlier in the session, as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained minimal despite the ceasefire agreement with the U.S.

— Justina Lee

Where the major averages stand

Here’s where the major averages stand for the week ahead of Friday’s trading:

The S&P 500 is up 3.68%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 3.61%.

The Nasdaq Composite is up 4.31%.

The Russell 2000 is up 4.20%.

— Lisa Kailai Han

Two of the 11 GICS sectors end Thursday lower

On Thursday, just two of the 11 GICS sectors ended the day in negative territory.

The losses were led by the energy and health care sectors, respectively down 1.16% and 0.19%.

On the other hand, consumer discretionary stocks were the day’s biggest gainers, up 2.46%. The industrials and communication services sectors followed, respectively climbing 1.04% and 0.93%.

Stock futures are little changed

Stock futures opened little changed on Thursday night.

Futures tied to the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Industrial Average all traded just below the flatline shortly after 6 p.m. ET.